Hiroshima marks 68th anniversary of US atomic bombing

Tens of thousands gathered at a peace memorial park in Hiroshima today to mark the 68th anniversary of the US atomic bombing of the city, as anti-atomic sentiment runs high in Japan. In Hiroshima, ageing survivors, relatives, government officials and foreign delegates observed a moment of silence at 8.15am, the time of the detonation which turned the city into a nuclear inferno.The blast destroyed more than ten square kilometres of the city. And the intense heat of the explosion then created many fires, which consumed Hiroshima and lasted for three days, trapping and killing many of the survivors of the initial blast.